S'more Hamentaschen?! Oy, the Sacrilege, But They Sound Delicious

UPDATE: Boy, are we embarrassed! Turns out, couldntbeparve.com is a tongue in cheek name for a blog that offers only kosher recipes! The marshmallows used in this recipe are not made with gelatin -- if you buy the garden variety at the grocery store, though, you'll be in violation. We regret the error! This post has been edited to correct it.

To be honest, Jewish holidays can be a big bummer -- celebrations of suffering and (eventual) triumph, lacking cute bunnies and red-coated gift-givers, involving long hours sitting through synagogue services and other rituals.

But Purim -- celebrated beginning tonight through Friday -- is all about fun,

a chance to party in honor of (and here the story will be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay abridged) the time a long time ago when the Jews kicked some serious ass -- specifically the ass of an evil man named Hamen in Persia. Carnivals, parades and lots of partying mark the event -- this is a chance for the Jews to throw down.

And eat. The traditional food served for Purim is Hamentaschen, named for Hamen, who wore a three-cornered hat.

Hamentaschen are always three-cornered pastries and are often inedible, dry and stuffed with prunes or maybe apricot jam. (We are not making this up.)

But check out this web site a friend shared -- it's called Couldn't be Parve and it includes a lot of creative recipes that do keep kosher. (Parve means kosher.) But you might have to search high and low (and then give up) for non-gelatin marshmallows. (No horse hooves for the pious Jew.)

If you like this story, consider signing up for our email newsletters.

Amy Silverman is a two-time winner of the Arizona Press Club’s Journalist of the Year award. Her work has appeared on the radio show This American Life and in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Lenny Letter, and Brain, Child. She’s the co-curator of the live reading series Bar Flies, and a commentator for KJZZ, the NPR affiliate in Phoenix. Silverman is the author of the book My Heart Can’t Even Believe It: A Story of Science, Love, and Down Syndrome (Woodbine House 2016). Follow her on Instagram (@amysilverman), Twitter (@amysilvermanaz), and at amy-silverman.com.

We use cookies to collect and analyze information on site performance and usage, and to enhance and customize content and advertisements. By clicking 'X' or continuing to use the site, you agree to allow cookies to be placed. To find out more, visit our cookies policy and our privacy policy.